This past Tuesday marked two important efforts in the realm of charitable giving.

“Giving Tuesday”, following Black Friday and Cyber Monday, was a day set aside nationally by the 92nd Street Y (92nd Street Young Men's and Young Women's Hebrew Association) in New York City “to transform the way people think about, talk about, and participate in giving during the holiday season.”

And it marked avery important moment in our history at Northwood University. Initiated in 2007, on Tuesday we celebrated the success of the “quiet” phase of our Capital Campaign and our entry into the public phase of our Campaign on our Michigan campus, with corresponding celebrations to follow in Florida (December 6) and Texas (December 11).

The Capital Campaign—our largest ever—will transform Northwood University from a respected business school into a globally acclaimed leader in free-market thought and leadership and in the development of executives and entrepreneurs ready to lead and guide organizations. It will enhance Northwood’s financial stability through a stronger endowment; new and upgraded facilities; and increased annual cash contributions for student scholarships, professorships, and operational needs.

As of today, we have reached almost 63% of our $80 million goal, and over 9,100 people have either contributed or made commitments to do so, including many members of our faculty and staff. Successful and completed projects to date include:

The Pamella and Daniel DeVos Student Development Center

The Carl A. Gerstacker Academic Center

The Helen Gerace Auditorium

The Betsy and Dick DeVos Scholars for Free-Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, a multi-year scholarship given to promising student-entrepreneurs

Several other projects are either underway or will be in the months ahead, including:

Training and exercise areas, locker rooms, and a suite of offices for our coaches and Sports Information Director

System Wide

Endowments for student scholarships and professorships

Current funding for all three residential campuses

All of this is possible because of the vision, understanding, and personal sacrifice of so many people, including our faculty and staff. Your vision and leadership will help our students enter the world ready to serve, lead, and inspire new and existing businesses and organizations into the future. Thanks to all of you for helping us get to this point.

But this Capital Campaign is not just about money. It’s about our mission to educate the future leaders of a global, free enterprise society. While our goal is to raise funds, this Campaign is about much more than dollar amounts, buildings, and the tools and technology of education. It’s about our ability to cultivate leaders who understand the difference between the cost of something and its value. It’s about ensuring our ability to benefit from the contributions and leadership of the students we educate—those who will guide the organizations and communities we worked to grow and advance.

The key to the success of our Capital Campaign is active engagement and support on the part of everyone who knows and believes in what Northwood University has to offer.

I look forward to working with all of you in the weeks and months ahead as we share the Northwood story with others—in the spirit of “Giving Tuesday” and the generosity and volunteerism that have always been part of the Northwood Idea—and make the case locally, nationally, and globally that this Campaign is a worthwhile investment in everyone’s future.